As we step into 2026, the economic implications of artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly evident, particularly the phenomenon dubbed “slop"the low-quality digital content churned out by AI systems. While revenues in the AI sector are rising, they are not keeping pace with the staggering investments, leading to concerns about the sustainability of this growth. The industry is grappling with a fundamental question: can AI-generated content truly deliver value, or is it merely a costly experiment?